Chicago Mayor Proposes Gun Law Requiring Videotaping of Sales

Chicago Mayor Rahn Emmanuel has a plan for more gun control: He wants to videotape all people buying guns and limit purchases to one per individual per month.

Emmanuel introduced the report to Chicago city council on Wednesday morning.

“Chicago’s violence problem is largely a gun problem,” Emmanuel’s report stated. “Every year, Chicago police officers take thousands of illegal guns off the street. But, despite these efforts, it remains far too easy for criminals to get their hands on deadly weapons.”

The proposal would require a 72-hour waiting period for purchasing handguns, and a 24-hour waiting period for riffles and shotguns. An individual could only buy one handgun per month from a single buyer, and store records would become subject to quarterly audits to discourage trafficking.

According to Emanuel’s deputy chief of public safety, Janey Rountree, all gun dealers will require special permits, and would only be allowed in specifically designated areas. Due to these regulations, gun stores would only be able to be set up in about 0.5 percent of Chicago’s geographic areas.

The city of Chicago has historically struggled with problems revolving around gun violence , and has had more killings than New York City or Los Angeles in recent years. Up until a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling catalyzed a change in policy, Chicago had banned handguns within city limits.

Chicago Department of Law spokesman Roderick Drew said that every year Chicago police recover more illegal guns than officers in any other city in the country. Emmanuel thinks limiting legal gun sales might change that.